Arachne Press offers writing workshops, run by Cherry Potts, and other Arachne Press authors. It’s a lot of fun, and depending on the workshop there are possibilities to write whilst listening to live music, or while eating cake…

Current workshop availability

Writing the Body (Catford Library London)

Shakespeare Reimagined (Keats House, London)

in planning stage

BSL poetry (June 2023 in Deptford London)

Writing Joy – LGBTQ+ poetry of what makes us happy with Jeremy Dixon – in person in bookshops around the UK. Brixton & Edinburgh dates confirmed. – also online.

Here’s our curated list of books for writers on bookshop.org. It’s quite frivolous, but definitely useful

We also run occasional workshops that AREN’T about writing…

for writers
Handling the Media, marketing for writers basics,  marketing for writers advanced
Performance for writers

for singers
Singing workshops with folk musicians, Lester Simpson, Val Regan, London Sea Shanty Collective

Suitable for adults and young adults; beginners, experimenters and experienced writers, the workshops cut across artistic disciplines to explore in depth the language and inspiration that we take from all our senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste & smell); helping writers to convincingly evoke cultures and characters, atmospheres and action.

These 2-3 hour workshops can be intimate affairs for 6 or barnstorming events for 20. We try to run the workshops in venues with an interesting atmosphere and/or with a link to a particular sense for one-off workshops (cafés, gardens, music venues, art galleries, steam train lines..!).  If you run a venue, and would like to book a workshop, or you are an artist, musician, dancer… and would like to collaborate, please get in touch!

Although mainly aimed at fiction writers, these workshops are appropriate for poets and (auto)biographers, travel writers, copywriters…

Writing can be a lonely business, these workshops get writers together to explore ways of externalising our internal lives and communicating our thoughts to others.

Oh… and it’s fun.

previous workshops

Sight lines
What do we see without noticing, how do colours impact on mood? What is beauty? If we all look at the same thing how many different versions of ‘reality’ do we see?

Sight lines might be run in an art gallery or a garden – anywhere you can feast the eye and write in response.

Sugar and Spice
A writing workshop exploring the senses of smell and taste.

How can you describe a flavour or scent effectively?
When writing fiction, how can smells and flavours be used to evoke atmosphere, how can the awareness of these senses help to define characters?
We bring some tasters, both literary and foodie – for everyone with an interest in writing… and food!

feedback from Sugar & Spice

A lot of food for thought…

Uma

I enjoyed the challenge of writing using my non-prefered sense – I can see(!) it will be really useful.

Christine

The exercise in writing in just one way was very instructive (and quite hard!)

Mary

Great ideas about how to inspire writing about senses and character.

Wendy

Motion & Emotion
What touches you, what moves you? how are emotion and movement, feelings and feeling interlinked? Explore character through movement, atmosphere through touch and plot through action.  Walk your story. Make your language dynamic.

Motion & Emotion might collaborate with dancers, explore objects through touch, or take a walk in town or country.

Writing with your Ears
Discover the power of music (particularly live music) to inspire plot, atmosphere and character development, explore the variations and patterns of a traditional tale and the influence of myth and legend, fairy/folk tales.

Feedback from ‘Writing with your Ears’

Very, very informative – the time passed so quickly. I never realised before how music could have such an impact on writing.

HM

Fantastic experience of being with the orchestra – Ideas for mixing up the senses

John

No writing experience necessary for any workshop. Bring your laptop or pens and paper and prepare to have fun.

If you are interested in attending (or hosting) a workshop, get in touch using our ‘expression of interest’ form below and we will let you know when our next sessions are planned.